Read Online Broken Blood by Heather Hildenbrand - Free Book Online

over in her chair, unconscious.
    “What the hell is going on?” Steppe roared. “You told me you fixed this!”
    The guards scurried to herd me and Astor to the sidelines while working to revive an unresponsive Olivia. Everything in my mind felt stretched. Slow. Too obvious to the point of irritating. I glared at Steppe and roared back, “She’s feeling his death, you idiot. I warned you about this.”
    Steppe’s shoulders stiffened. “Take her to her room. Sedate her,” he told the guards, his back to me. The guard still holding his gun tucked his weapon into the waistline of his pants and scooped Olivia into his arms. Her head and arms hung limp as he carried her to the door. Astor moved to follow, but Steppe stopped him. “You stay. I need you here.”
    Astor’s eyes widened but he didn’t argue. Apparently satisfied, Steppe rounded on me, eyes blazing. “Your turn,” he said.
    “My turn for what?”
    “Astor, get the samples.”
    “But ... you just saw what happened. The new variation isn’t ready. She’ll get into your thoughts just as easily as you’ll get hers—”
    “Dammit. I don’t care about that,” Gordon yelled. “I want it done. We’re running out of time. The public needs to see her as the villain. Forget it. Take fresh samples. Do the exchange now.”
    Astor scurried to a cabinet at the back of the room, his slippers sliding over the tile floor.
    Steppe nodded to someone behind him and seconds later, hands closed around my arms. I kicked out but the guard was faster. I was herded to the chair Chris had vacated. Beside me, his body lay cold and lifeless on the table. I looked away before I caught sight of his face.
    “Get him out of here,” Gordon snapped.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I watched a guard collect Chris in his arms and carry him out. I couldn’t watch. A sob rose up but I bit down on my cheek to hold it in. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth and a sniffle escaped before I could silence it.
    “Don’t cry for him. He made his choice. You’re making yours.”
    I whirled and stared across the table at Steppe. “This is not my choice,” I said through clenched teeth.
    “You can refuse this anytime. It has to be given freely, remember?”
    “Fine. I refuse. Take me back to my room.”
    The remaining guards eyed Steppe.
    “You heard the girl. Escort her back,” he told them. I pushed to my feet. They moved to approach me and Steppe added, “Just keep in mind what you’re giving up.” He flicked his wrist toward where Astor gathered syringes and cotton swabs at the back of the room. “An uncle who loves you enough to risk his life in order to be the one to treat you. Who would kill, in fact, if it meant saving his niece. A pack, or what’s left of them, of hybrids that will probably end up like your second in command being buried out back. Olivia’s not nearly as good at this as you.”
    I lowered myself back to my chair. The guards stepped back again but I ignored them, my confused expression sweeping both Steppe and Astor. “What do you mean ... kill?”
    Gordon’s enjoyment sent off warning bells and I stared at him, my breath caught. “Mr. Sandefur had decided to take matters into his own hands,” he said off-handedly, as if I’d asked for the forecast. He stared at his nails as he spoke and anger burned hot and neat in my veins at his cavalier attitude.
    “What matters?” I asked.
    “Precisely? You. Much has happened while you’ve been hiding inside those four walls of your little room, Miss Godfrey. The world has seen a different side of you and,” he paused to click his tongue, “I’m afraid it doesn’t paint a very nice picture.”
    “What are you talking about? How can the world have any picture of me when I’m stuck in here?”
    “Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they can’t see you. You’ve been busy. Usurping me at every turn according to the various videos released. I offer everyone here a choice and those who